


Silent Melody

by warpaintandpixiedust



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21593533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warpaintandpixiedust/pseuds/warpaintandpixiedust
Summary: Kurt's world is turned upside down when a prank goes wrong and ends up with Kurt becoming deaf. Klaine fanfic deaf!kurt
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if this note gets a little long but I will try not to make a habit of it.
> 
> This is a rewrite of a fanfiction I posted years ago to fanfic.net and abandoned for years until I decided to go back and finish it. I always wanted to go back and change things about it, it's full of plot holes and I wrote the thing before Glee finished so a lot happened in the show I wanted to include in this story.
> 
> So this November I did it. I rewrote the thing and now as I polish each chapter I hope to post them here without it taking too long. But no promises.
> 
> Also I'm not from America so if I get anything about their surroundings wrong, that will be the reason. Also I'm not deaf, please try and be patient if I do get anything wrong about Kurt and how things effect him throughout the story.
> 
> The first chapter includes Kurt being attacked with snowballs and the subsequent stay in hospital. But it's nothing graphic and doesn't go into any gory details.
> 
> I think that's everything.

Kurt Hummel had always thought of winter as his favourite season. The colder temperature meant he could layer up all he wanted without having to shed piece by piece of a perfect outfit. Snow, however, was his least favourite thing about the colder times of year.

Snow had been falling the week prior, before taking a break for the weekend to let the pretty white blankets turn to annoying slush. The morning had brought more snow filled grey clouds which had made driving to McKinley a longer journey than Kurt had anticipated. 

He pulled into the parking lot at the front of the school, wishing Blaine was in the passenger seat next to him or leaning against his own car awaiting Kurt’s arrival.

Blaine had agreed to transfer to McKinley at the beginning of Kurt’s senior year. They had been giddy at the idea of going to school together again, even without the protection Dalton had given them. Blaine’s father had point blank refused to even consider letting his son transfer. No matter how Blaine spun the idea there was no changing his mind. 

Both had to accept their fantasy had been squashed and moved on. Since they couldn’t see one another during the day they had been doing their best to make their relationship a priority when they could. Some days Blaine would pick Kurt up from school and they would hang out in Blaine’s dorm room or Blaine would spend his weekends in the Hummel guest room.

It wasn’t as easy as they had been imagining but they made it work.

Kurt waited in his car, watching for a friendly face. None of his friends were around. Finn had chosen to ride with Rachel that morning, no doubt so they could have ‘alone time’ in the car before their first class. 

He would’ve braved the snow covered parking lot alone, if it wasn’t for the football players and Cheerios. They had taken to attacking innocent students with snowballs as they tried to escape inside. When there was a lull in traffic to torment they would turn on one another.

There was no doubt in Kurt’s mind that the moment he stepped into range he would become target number one. Even if the bullying was easing up as the school year went on, there was still safety in numbers. He just needed to find someone to make the numbers and help to protect his rather expensive outfit.

As time crawled on it became apparent that all of his friends were either already inside of had used one of the other entrances. If he didn’t move soon Kurt knew he was going to be late to class and he couldn’t afford to let his attendance slip now. He was too close to college applications to risk tarnishing his punctual streak.

Kurt made it within touching distance of the door without pulling focus to his fleeing form. He could feel the heating system on the tip of his nose. He felt a snowball, half melting, smack into the back of his head, ruining the hair style he had worked so hard to perfect that morning.

Before Kurt let his better judgement kick in he stopped walking. The anger made its way into his veins, freezing him to the spot, his fists curling in on themselves.

“What’s wrong Hummel? Too much of a lady for a snowball fight!” Kurt heard the familiar voice of his number one bully call from behind him.

He reminded himself it wasn’t worth his time to snap back a witty remark. He knew it would just go over their heads. Kurt picked up his foot and went to take the final steps inside.

Almost at the exact same moment two more snowballs landed on either side of Kurt’s head. The pain he felt in his left ear left Kurt dizzy and disorientated.

A final snowball, the biggest one of the four made its way to hit Kurt to one side, sending him of balance. As Kurt tried to right himself and get away from the laughter that he could no longer hear, he felt his boots slip on the ice. His head cracked onto the corner of the sidewalk ending the pain and sending Kurt under.

Blaine Anderson had left his dorm room twenty minutes earlier than he needed to. He had worked through his usual lengthy hair gel routine just to ruin the look with the winter hat to protect himself from the falling snow. His hair would be a wreck all day no matter what he did, and Blaine could only accept it.

His train of thought kept wandering back to Kurt, who was miles away, surely making his way to his first class of the day. He longed to be with him, to hold his hands as they walked through the doors and drop him off at homeroom with a kiss to the cheek.

Blaine had planned to fit in a call to Kurt before they both were lost to their education for the day. He was pleased Kurt was happy back at McKinley but he still had moments when he wished Kurt still went to Dalton and so they could see one another everyday.

The entrance to the Warbler meeting room was in Blaine’s sights. He would pick up the book he had forgotten last night, use the empty room to call his boyfriend and then head off to class. Blaine had to stop in the middle of the courtyard to shake off his gloves and answer his ringing phone.

He didn’t recognise the number. All of Blaine’s friends would tell him to ignore the call. It would surely be from some company trying to get him to believe he hadn’t paid his taxes or that a million dollars was waiting for him after one simple survey. Blaine had never been good at ignoring calls. It was impolite and that wasn’t in Blaine’s nature.

“Hello?” Blaine answered as he stepped to the side to let a group of boys past.

“Please may I speak with a Mister Blaine Anderson?” A female voiced asked. Blaine had his finger hovering over the end call button.

“This is he.” Blaine replied giving this woman the benefit of the doubt.

“Hello, Mr. Anderson. I’m calling from Lima Memorial Hospital. Mr. Hummel has asked me to call and inform you that his son has been in an accident at school this morning. He’s being taken down for surgery now.” Blaine felt the cold air fill his chest as he tried to listen to each word. He had turned in the direction of the dorm parking lot before she had finished the word accident.

“Could you please tell Kurt’s dad that I’m on my way?” Blaine asked. The woman promised she would pass on the message and Blaine hung up the call and hurried to get to his car.

He took a moment before leaving the parking lot to text Wes a brief and typo filled version of what was happening and asking him to let the school know he would not be in any of his classes that day.

Blaine had to use every spare bit of his attention to focus on the road ahead of him and not let his mind wander to what could be happening to the boy he loved.

He hadn’t had to patience to ask what exactly was wrong with Kurt or what had happened to him. He just knew he needed to be by his side as soon as possible.

He parked his car sloppily without a care in the world as ran to the desk just inside the front doors of the hospital.

“Hi. I’m looking for Kurt Hummel. I’m his cousin.” Blaine lied. He did not want to be denied entry to the hospital just because he wasn’t a family member.

“He is in room 423 in the ICU.” The receptionist informed him after typing away at her computer. Blaine listened to her instructions to head towards the elevators before he was thanking her over his shoulder and rushing off.

Blaine didn’t need to pay attention to room numbers after he found the ward. Burt was leaning on the wall outside the room, his cap in one hand and the other rubbed over his head.

“Hey kiddo.” Burt said softly as Blaine walked over to stand next to Burt and try and catch his breath. His lungs felt too small in his chest but he had to hold it together. He couldn’t fall apart now.

“Mr. Hummel what happened? Is he…is he going to be…okay?” Blaine asked his eyes darting to the closed door.

“Idiots with snowballs. They managed to penetrate one of his ear drums and knocked him off balance. He hit a part of his head real bad. Bad enough to cause bleeding in his brain and damage some nerves. Doctor said they’ve done a number on the part of the brain that relays sound.” Burt explained. “He’s in surgery now so they can try and stop the bleeding and fix what they can with his ear.”

“But he’s going to be okay right? He’ll make a full recovery?” Blaine was close to pleading with Burt, he wanted to hear him say Kurt would need time but he would be his old self again.

“Doctor said they won’t know for sure until he wakes up but he’s as close as he can be to certain that he may never hear again.”

Blaine and Burt sat opposite one another, an empty space between them where Kurt would be laying. Carole had been on and off the phone all morning, she was still on shift but was doing her best to clock off early. Finn was yet to make his way to Kurt’s room but Burt had mentioned he had been the one to ride in the ambulance.

Blaine couldn’t take his eyes away from the empty space, his imagination worked overtime to fill his head with images of Kurt bandaged and pale, connected to all kinds of medical equipment.

Neither Burt nor Blaine had been paying any attention to how long it was before the door opened and Kurt was rolled into the room, still unconscious but more of less in one piece. Nurses buzzed around, checking numbers and hooking wires to machines. Blaine tried not to pay any attention the numbers and lines the screens displayed. He would drive himself crazy trying to figure out what it all meant. Kurt’s doctor walked in a few moments after carrying his chart.

“Mr. Hummel, I’m Doctor Shepard. I’m a neurologist here at Lima memorial and was one of the surgeons operating on your son today.” The doctor said, shaking Burt’s hand as he stood.

“How is he?” Burt asked, Blaine’s attention turned back to Kurt as the buzz of nurses died down. He tried to take some kind of comfort from the heart monitor beeping.

“Everything went as well as we could expect. We managed to stop the bleeding on his brain and patch up his ear. He is stable but we’ll need to keep him in for the rest of the week at a minimum, just to make sure there are no further developments.”

“And his…his um his hearing?” Blaine asked from his spot across the room. He leaned forwards in his chair, his hands hovering near Kurt’s, too scared to make contact.

The doctor’s eyes flickered to Burt, he pulled the cap from the top of his head and pushed the hair back from his forehead.

“The nerve pathway was in worse condition than we had expected. Stopping the bleed on the brain was our priority, which may have made the damage worse. I would say it’s almost certain he will have lost all of his hearing function. We won’t know for certain until he wakes up. He shouldn’t be out for much longer.” The doctor said looking to each Blaine and Burt. “There is always a chance new technology or trials in the future may help, there’s a hospital in Seattle that make strides in medicine everyday.” He said offering what small hope he could.

“Thank you doc.” Burt said shaking his hand again and sitting back down once he had left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Blaine took Kurt’s hand in his and stroked the back of his knuckles, focusing on his pale skin. If he looked at his face he would just see his closed eyes and bruises darkening underneath the edge of the bandages wrapped around his head.

The silence in the room filled the space where conversation should have been until Burt stood from his chair and began to pace back and forth. He periodically removed his cap to run a hand over the top of his head.

“They’re not going to get away with it this time. He’s been through so much, that school has let so much slide. Not this time. They’ll pay for this.” Burt said, his anger forcing him to continue his pacing.

“I’m so sorry Mr. Hummel.” Blaine mumbled.

“What for Blaine? You’ve done nothing wrong.” Burt insisted. He wasn’t even caught on the fact he had referred to him as Mr. Hummel rather than Burt. Which was their usual back and forth.

“I’m sorry for not being there to protect him. For not being able to transfer. For everything.” Blaine said, the guilt he felt made itself home in his chest and spread as Kurt continued to lay unconscious. But the guilt was nothing compared to the flame of anger that had ignited in his stomach.

“Blaine, I don’t know much about the person who assaulted Kurt. I don’t know the exact person who did this to him. But they are the people who should feel guilty. You should not be the one to carry the blame on your shoulders.” Burt assured him.

The door opened as Carole rushed in and gathered Burt in her arms, finally allowing him to still his constant movement. Blaine turned back to his boyfriend as he drew small patterns on the back of his hand.

Before Blaine knew that Carole had moved further into the room she was gathering Blaine her arms. Blaine relaxed into the hug allowing himself to be comforted. The room settled down again, Carole moving Burt to the other chair and balancing herself on the arm next to her husband.

“Have you spoken to Principal Figgin’s yet?” Carole asked once Burt had finished filling her in on all the news he had so far.

“He’s suspended a few kids, pending an investigation.” Burt said, his voice didn’t sound as confident as it had before. Burt sounded tired, Blaine felt the same way. The emotions of the day weighed down on them both as they watched Kurt.

“I thought Finn came in with him?” Carole asked, she shook off her coat. “Where is he?”

“He was here for a bit. He needed some air but I saw him in the waiting room after the doctor left. Would you mind going to check on him, Blaine?” Burt asked.

“Sure.” Blaine said. He didn’t want to leave Kurt’s side. But Blaine also thought getting some air for himself seemed like a good idea.

Blaine found Finn right where Burt had said. He was sat in the family waiting room only a short distance away. Finn’s head was in his hands and two cups of coffee waited untouched.

As he sat next to Finn, Blaine didn’t say a word. He took a deep breath and ran his hand over the top of his gelled hair. Blaine had a habit of trying to flatten his already stiff hair when he was worried.

The two boys sat in silence for a while, Finn nudged one of the coffees in Blaine’s direction. And even though the coffee was of the lowest quality and turned to room temperature long ago, Blaine still picked it up to take a sip. He was desperate to find some kind of comfort in the one thing that felt familiar.

“It’s my fault.” Finn mumbled. Blaine wasn’t sure how to respond. They had been sat in silence, side by side, he was shocked Finn expressed his feelings without being prompted.

“What do you mean?” Blaine asked when Finn made no indication he was going to continue.

“It’s my fault.” Finn repeated. “He drove to school alone because I wanted to pick up Rachel. I didn’t even take a second to think about what might be waiting for him at school. I just said no and went on my merry way.”

“It’s not your fault Finn.” Blaine insisted. Although he knew Finn was in no condition to listen to a pep talk. “You didn’t know this would happen. No one could of. If anything I should have been there.”

“That makes zero sense Blaine.” Finn said with his head back in his hands.

Before Blaine and Finn could continue to talk about their shared guilt Carole’s head appeared from around the corner.

“He’s awake.” She said, Blaine and Finn got up and saw nurses rushing into the room with Carole hot on their heels.

Blaine walked into the room to see that the tubes that had been in Kurt’s mouth had been removed and his bed had been shifted so he was sitting upright. Nurses stood by his bedside with Burt taking Kurt’s hand to comfort him as he slowly woke up. Finn and Carole stood together on his other side and as Kurt’s doctor walked into the room Blaine took his opportunity to slip out.

Blaine had serious doubts in his ability to keep his emotions in check when the doctor told him the damage that had been done. Blaine didn’t think him being there, possibly breaking down in front of Kurt would be the best thing for anyone.

Blaine made his way back to the waiting room and took his phone from his pocket, dialling the first number he could think of.

“Hey, squirt, how are you?” Cooper asked from the other end of the line. “Don’t you have class right now?”

“No…I um-I’m at Lima hospital.” Blaine said. He had wanted to call Wes or Nick or Jeff or any of the Warblers. But he knew they would all be in class right now. He could have called the New Directions but other than Finn and Rachel he wasn’t that close to any of them. He still felt like he was just Kurt’s boyfriend to them.

“Are you okay? Blaine what’s happened?” Cooper asked. Blaine could hear Cooper had been busy he was shushing people on his end.

“I’m sorry Coop, you must be busy.” Blaine said, he could feel the tears slide down his cheeks.

“Don’t be sorry. Blaine just tell me what’s going on. Whose in hospital? Is it you? Or mom? Or dad?”

“It’s Kurt.” Blaine said, he didn’t see Carole come into the room until she took the seat next to Blaine and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Blaine filled Cooper in on what had happened. He needed his big brother to help him. Cooper and Blaine had never been close but he still looked up to Cooper and craved his approval. He needed Cooper to tell him everything was going to be okay.

Carole sat next to Blaine and listened as he talked to his brother on the phone. She listened to Blaine insisted not to call their parents to come and be with him. She couldn’t hear Cooper’s end of the conversation but she could tell Blaine was at least reassured by his words when he ended the call.

“Cooper’s your older brother, right?” Carole asked, watching Blaine wipe the tears from his face and put his phone away. He nodded and continued to dry his eyes. “What did he say?”

“He wanted to call our parents but they’ll both be busy at work and stuff. He said he’s coming to Ohio to visit for a week soon.”

“That’s nice.” Carole said, she let Blaine calm down a little more before speaking again. “I know it’s a lot. Kurt is going to need all of us right now, Blaine. He’s going to need our help, our time, our love.”

“I know.” Blaine said sitting upright. He rubbed the rest of his cheeks dry with the sleeve of his blazer.

“It’s going to be a lot to deal with for a while. His whole life is going to change, all of our lives are. I for one would understand if…for some people your age its…too much.”

“I would do anything for him. I love him.” Blaine stated. “I don’t plan on that changing any time soon.”

“Is there anything else, Blaine?” Carole asked. “I know this is hard, but I’ve never seen you look…angry before.”

“I am angry. So angry. I feel like I should be driving to the school and throwing some stuff of my own.” Blaine sighed, looking down at his shoes. “Not only is there this rage in my stomach but I feel guilty down to my bones. If I had just gotten my dad to agree to me transferring I would have been there to walk him to every class.”

Carole knew that the guilt Blaine was feeling was misguided. He had no reason to feel guilty. Anger she could understand, she could relate. She knew Blaine was the last person on the earth who should feel guilty about Kurt being in the hospital.

“Blaine, honey, I get the angry thing. I do. But guilt. You having nothing to feel guilty about. Kurt can’t be chaperoned every minute of his life. Nor would he want to be.”

Blaine sighed and nodded along with her words. They stayed quiet for a while, allowing Kurt to have some time with his doctor and Burt, waiting for when they were needed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anything in italics is written or texted. Anything in bold (which will start in later chapters) is in sign language.

Kurt woke up dazed and confused. The room swam around him in a swirl of lights and bland colours. He blinked a couple of times, trying to focus on one of the faces in the room. After a moment of trying to bring someone into focus he settled for focusing on something else, like the dry pain in his throat and the throbbing on the side of his head.

Kurt closed his eyes again and when he opened them the room calmed down. His eyes picked out his dad’s hand on his. He could see his mouth moving but he couldn’t hear a word he said.

His attention moved to a nurse, again he could not hear the pen in her hand scratching at the clipboard. Or the beeping on the heart monitor next to him. Or the doctor leaning over the foot of his bed, his hands tapping on the files in his hands.

“Where am I?” Or he was sure he had asked. His throat was sore and he was sure he had forced the words out but he didn’t hear them. He had felt the sound leave his mouth and noticed that his dad seemed to react to him talking.

Kurt looked back and forth between the doctor and his dad. They shared a knowing look as the doctor finished writing away on a notepad and handed the pad to Burt to read over and hand to Kurt.

_I’m Dr. Shepard. I’m a neurologist here at Lima Memorial. You’re on the ICU ward. How are you feeling Kurt? The words scrambled around Kurt’s brain as he tried to make sense of why he was reading the words rather than hearing them. Kurt shrugged and handed the notepad back. Are you in any pain?_

“My throat and head hurt.” Kurt said again forcing the words out.

The doctor nodded and said something to one of the nurses who left the room.

“Why won’t anyone tell me what’s going on? Why can’t I hear anything?” Kurt asked, Burt shuffled from his side, his hand twitching over Kurt’s as he nodded to the doctor who moved to his other side and began writing. He wrote for long enough to finish a short novel but when he handed the paper back it was only a short paragraph.

_Kurt, you were hit with several snowballs at school this morning. From what we’ve learnt you must have been knocked off balance. You hit your head really bad on the ice and cracked your skull. The damage caused a bleed on your brain and damaged the nerves connected to the audio part of your brain. You’ve also ruptured your left ear drum. I’m sorry to tell you this Kurt but you’ve lost your hearing. We managed to stop any bleeding but we were unable to repair the full damage. Kurt it is extremely likely you will be deaf for the rest of your life. We’ll continue to do tests for the next year or so but there is no medicine that can help at this point in time._

Kurt read the words a couple of times. His heart broke as he took in the fact he was reading about his own life and not some stranger in an episode of Grey’s anatomy. In television some ground breaking risky surgery would be carried and voila problem fixed.

Kurt looked around the room. Silence filled in the small sounds he should of been hearing. The silence pressed him into the swirl of emotions swimming through his head.

Burt took the pad from Kurt’s lap where it had been dropped and allowed the nurses to fiddle with his central line and take readings from the monitors.

_Kurt, whoever did this to you will pay for it. I promise. Do you remember anything? Did you see who did it?_

Kurt shook his head, unwilling to look up as he rubbed the tears away with the back of his hand.

“So I’ll never hear again? Can’t I get one of those implants?” Kurt asked taking a few breaths to try and calm himself down.

_We will need to run a few tests and do some more scans but with this type of injury it is unlikely they would help. If it was just your eardrum then yes but the nerve damage isn’t affected by that type of implant or hearing aid. I would not recommend spending the money unless you had a lot of spare cash to spend._

Kurt nodded and the doctor took back the papers

_We’ll have someone come and start teaching your American Sign Language (ASL) in the meantime while you’re here. Is is alright if I run a few simple tests before I go. Just to make sure your brain is stable._

Kurt nodded and allowed the doctor to shine a small light in his eyes and take his blood pressure. While he waited for the doctor to finish Burt wrote a quick question.

_Is there anything I can do you for kiddio? Is there anything you need? Carole is going to run back to the house and pack a few things for you._

“Has anyone called Blaine?” Kurt asked. Out of the corner of his eye he noted Finn moving and Burt nodded in response.

“Blaine.” Finn said as he walked into the waiting room to his mother still talking with Blaine. His eyes were red and his was running his hand over his smooth hair over and over. “He’s asking for you dude.”

“Okay, thanks Finn.” Blaine said standing up and smoothing down his blazer. He had already taken off his tie and stashed it in his pocket but his fingers twitched to smooth down the non existent fabric.

Blaine wasn’t sure what to expect when he walked in but it was better than the images he had been cooking up for himself. Kurt was sat upright, a few of the monitors had been taken away and Kurt’s eyes were open and alert. He no longer had tubes in his mouth, just an oxygen tube connected to his nose.

Kurt watched Blaine walk over to his side and take one of his hands in both of his. He could see Blaine’s eyes were red, his cheeks rubbed raw and his hair even though his hand had been trying to smooth down his hair when he walked in the gel was no match, his curls were breaking lose around the front. His heart lurched a little seeing him so close to broken.

The notepad was passed silently to Blaine who kissed the back of Kurt’s hand before dropping it to scribble out a couple of words.

_Hi. Kurt. Are you okay? Are you in pain? Can I do anything?_

Kurt turned his head in Burt’s direction who was watching his son closely. Finn and Carole were whispering in the corner and nurses were still hovering, doing their jobs. The room felt too small, like it should be full of noise but to Kurt he felt lost amongst it all.

“Dad can I have some time alone?” Kurt asked. He couldn’t focus, he felt so watched by too many pairs of eyes.

Burt nodded and gave Kurt’s shoulder a quick squeeze before leading everyone else out. Blaine shifted to leave but Kurt caught his wrist before he could step away.

“Please stay.” Kurt mumbled. Blaine smiled at Kurt and took a seat on the edge of his bed. Kurt shifted to make a little more space. Blaine faced Kurt unsure of how to help his boyfriend. His eyes looked so dull, he wanted nothing more than to make him happy again.

Blaine found the discarded notepad and wrote the first thing that crossed his mind.

_Tell me honestly, how bad does my hair look right now?_

Kurt knew he should have laughed but he just smiled at reached out to tuck a lose curl in with the rest. He watched Blaine writing away, he was quickly becoming frustrated with having to wait to see what Blaine had to say rather than hearing his favourite voice. Kurt couldn’t stand it any longer. He didn’t want to interrupt Blaine but he longed to be closer to him.

“Blaine.” Kurt said watching him look up at Kurt, his eyes still red. “Are you okay?”

_Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?_ Blaine quickly scribbled after he flipped to a fresh page.

Kurt shrugged and placed the notebook on the other side of his bed, out of Blaine’s reach.

“Hug me?” Kurt asked, doing his best to shuffle over and make room for Blaine to slide in next to him. Blaine smiled he held up a finger to Kurt before shrugging out of his blazer and slipping off his school shoes. It took them a moment to get into a comfortable position but Blaine couldn’t help but let out a sigh when Kurt was tucked into Blaine’s arms and his were holding Kurt close.

Blaine wasn’t sure how long they had been cuddled up when he heard a knock at the door. He kissed Kurt on the cheek when he pouted as he pulled away. Burt came into the room, carrying a tray of food and placed the options in front of the boys telling them they both needed to eat something.

“All of this hospital food is going to be terrible for my skin.” Kurt said, picking up one of the bags of chips despite his protests. Blaine let out a small chuckle and helped himself. Just hearing Kurt make a remark about his skin during the aftermath of being attacked put him at ease just a little.

Kurt stayed in the hospital for the remainder of the week and into the next. His days started with tests to see how his brain was recovering, leading into a sign language tutor stopping by the afternoon and finishing when Blaine came to take over visiting hours after school so Burt could go home and catch up on Hummel Tires and Lube paperwork he had been neglecting. He always came with hot starbucks to give Kurt a break from hospital coffee.

Burt had insisted that if Blaine was going to be spending all his free time with Kurt in his hospital room then he had to finish his homework and not just watch movies on Kurt’s laptop and teach Blaine sign language.

They followed Burt’s orders. Neither wanted chaperoned visitation and even having Blaine sat at the foot of his bed, leaning against railings, head bent down focusing on homework was better than no Blaine at all.

The days when he had Warbler rehearsal always felt the longest to Kurt, the hour Blaine spent singing and dancing ate into visiting hours. They often had to be reminded by nurses that Blaine had to leave and couldn’t stay for even just five more minutes. They did always leave so Blaine could kiss Kurt goodbye in private.

Kurt was due to be released any day. He had been asking everyday if he could go home. He wanted nothing more than to be surrounded by everything that made him feel content and safe. Sure his dad had brought him his laptop, some books and travel sizes of his skin care. Sure his surgeon was one of the best looking doctors Kurt had ever seen. But he couldn’t sleep knowing that the building was filled with strangers rather than his family.

_I’m going to miss seeing Dr. McDreamy_ Blaine wrote one day after the doctor left the room, assuring Kurt he could go home very soon.

_Me too._ Kurt wrote back shuffling over to make room for Blaine to sit opposite him. Kurt laid back into his pillows and watched Blaine pull out textbooks. He had taken to napping when Blaine was working. It had been Blaine’s idea, he insisted it was the smartest use of his time since they had agreed not to do anything until he was finished anyway.

The day before Kurt was schedule to go home Blaine leaned on the wall outside of his room, willing his feet to do their job and take him to his boyfriends bedside. Whenever he saw Kurt his heart broke just a little all over again. Just seeing the bruises spread onto his cheek, or feel the rough edge of the bandage on the side of his face when he greeted him, was enough to send his thoughts into overdrive.

Blaine had sat with Kurt during one of his therapy sessions, hoping it might help him to speak to a professional but he had chickened out at the last second and change the topic to something else.

Blaine wanted to talk to Kurt about how he felt. How he was just about holding his life together and how he could barely concentrate in class. He wanted to tell him how each day a new wave of guilt or anger hit him when another thing was changed in Kurt’s life. But he couldn’t bring himself to talk to Kurt about anything he felt. Carole had been right when she said he needed their support, he needed to be there for Kurt to lean on right now and even though Kurt slapped on a smile when Blaine was around he knew it was for show. And when Kurt was ready to take off the happy mask he needed to be strong for the both of them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics mean something is written. Bold is something being signed.
> 
> When I was proof reading I noticed not a lot happens in this chapter, but it sets up some of the stuff that follows.

Thrilled wasn’t the word to describe how Kurt felt. He was being released from hospital. Home meant his comfortable bed, full sized hair care products and a full bookcase to keep him entertained. Home meant expensive skin care and control of the AC. Home meant being alone with Blaine without any interruptions from nurses doing their jobs or McDreamy doctors doing check ups.

Kurt spent most of the school day with his dad, or in his room when his dad had took the midday shift. He was fine alone, things would sometimes feel like a daunting weight on his mind but when that happened he distracted himself with fashion.

Burt had mentioned that some of his friends from New Directions had been asking to visit. Kurt had refused to see anyone other than Blaine. He couldn’t stomach the idea of their pity and awkward conversations and his friends taking forever to chose their words because they didn’t know how to talk to Kurt now.

All of the bad seemed to ease just a little whenever Blaine came over fresh from Warbler rehearsal, usually still wearing his uniform, his hair still gelled to an inch of it’s life. Kurt had told him he should go to his dorm and change first, he didn’t have to rush over everyday. But Blaine always told him he was too excited to wait for the shower stalls to heat up so he could scrub the gel from his hair.

They had rules from Burt they had to follow. If Blaine was going to continue to spend all of his spare time with his son then he still had to keep up with his studies. And they had to keep the door open at least three inches at all times, even when they were home alone.

After Blaine was finished with his homework they would show one another different signs they had learnt. Blaine would prompt Kurt into talking about what he was currently reading or show off the news clothes he’d brought online or made.

While blissfully home alone, thanks to Burt and Carole’s work schedules and Finn being busy with Mike and Sam, Blaine found himself with only a couple pages of reading as homework. He flew through the pages when faced with the opportunity to spend time with Kurt instead.

**“How was school today?”** Kurt signed as Blaine put his text book away and made himself more comfortable. He stretched out on Kurt’s bed sliding a little to closer to Kurt.

**“School?”** Blaine signed, double checking he had understood the sign. He reached over Kurt to grab the notebook from his bedside table.

_That’s a question my mom would ask_ Blaine joked.

_I know I just wanted to throw in a new sign. Keep you on your toes._

_School was just fine thanks. Warblers was rough, some new kid joined and we’re going through all the motions of auditions for solos._

Blaine wrote and reached over to pull Kurt closer to him while he read over his should.

_Mom mode over, no more parent questions for the rest of the night._ Kurt wrote as a reply. Blaine placed the notebook to one side.

**“Does that mean we can do this?”** Blaine signed and lent over to kiss Kurt. He smiled into the kiss and pulled Blaine closer, holding onto the back of Blaine’s neck.

“My dad will be home soon.” He mumbled as Blaine kissed his way down to Kurt’s neck, stopping when he heard Kurt’s breath hitch just a little and his hands grabbed onto Blaine’s tie.

**“I know.”** Blaine signed with a sigh. He kissed Kurt once on the cheek before sitting up straight again and readjusting his tie. Kurt wished he could hear Blaine as he went about preening his appearance back to perfect just in case Burt busted into the room at any moment.

_I miss being close to you. Maybe we can hang out at my dorm one day this week._ Blaine wrote once he felt presentable once again

Kurt nodded. He missed Blaine as well, it felt like years since they last had a proper teenage hormone filled make out session. A part of him didn’t want to leave his bedroom, his safe place. No one could touch him in his house. He wouldn’t have to fumble through talking to strangers or deal with any bullies that life threw his way.

_Have you thought about going back to school?_

Blaine wrote out but hesitated to show Kurt. He knew his question could back fire. He knew Kurt might not want to talk about school and what he plan was. But Blaine also wanted to ask, he assumed Kurt wouldn’t go back to McKinley. But he had other options. Blaine was curious if Kurt had given them any thought, even if he wanted to wait until fall. He summoned his courage and allowed Kurt to read his handwriting.

Blaine watched Kurt’s face change from passive to dismissive. He had seen countless shades of Kurt. Bitchy Kurt always left him a little scared but just a little turned on (when it wasn’t aimed at Blaine.) Sad Kurt made his heart break. Happy Kurt was what made his heart skip a beat. He had see Kurt dismiss things several times in the past. But usually it was never aimed at anything to do with Blaine. It left him a little hurt.

_Kurt, you can’t blow off the idea forever. You could always take your time, go back in the fall._ Blaine wrote as a suggestion.

**“Never. I’m never going back.”** Kurt signed.

Blaine knew wasn’t the person for the job. Burt was surely thinking the same things and would be the best person for the issue. Blaine also knew Kurt trusted him and he could be there for Kurt to lean on while he came to terms with things. Kurt just needed to let him in.

_I’m not suggesting going back. Not to McKinley. But you could come back to Dalton. Or look into Haverbrook, the school for the deaf you guys competed against at your first sectionals?_ Blaine rushed to write down his thoughts before Kurt tried to change the topic of their conversation.

Kurt sat next to his boyfriend, looking at the notebook between them. Kurt knew school was now a ‘thing’ he needed to tackle. But he didn’t want to. He didn’t feel ready to even consider what he wanted to do with his future now.

His doctor, his dad and Blaine had all said Kurt could still perform if he wanted to, that his future didn’t need to change that much. Kurt felt otherwise. He’d read online how to listen to music now. It was all about feeling the beat and less about the words. No one seemed to understand how much had changed within him. He didn’t feel connected to Broadway or to performing anymore. The bullies hadn’t thought before attacking Kurt and they sure as hell hadn’t about what they might have taken away from him.

So Kurt wanted to bury school until he could stomach the idea of advisers talking about college apps, submission essays, resumes and application deadlines. He wanted to bury the idea until he could figure out how to tell Blaine all he was feeling. Kurt saw that Blaine had been acting differently since the attack. And he wanted to ask Blaine about it. But he couldn’t. He didn’t want to risk losing him. He needed Blaine until life adjusted itself and things felt easier.

On the way to his dorm Blaine switched on the song Wes had given him to memorise. He needed to start getting all the words and timings just right. He put the song on repeat so he could learn all the words before their next meeting. Wes had given him weeks to have the lyrics down but Blaine wanted the task off of his endless to do list as quickly as possible.

He pulled into Dalton’s student parking lot. The weight of Blaine’s nightly to do list weighed heavy on his mind. He had a project to finish that he couldn’t do without his computer.

He had more reading to complete that he had brushed off earlier and one of the essay’s he had written while in Kurt’s company could use some serious proof reading. Not to mention dance steps to perfect, a pile of laundry higher than his desk, learning some new signs and he had a spelling test in French that had skipped his mind earlier. Then there was Cooper who had been bugging him to respond to his emails, and his friends made small remarks about how little time he spent with them. And finally washing the hair gel out and actual sleep. Blaine knew sleep was at the bottom of the list.

Blaine waved at the small group of Warblers gathered around the common room as he passed through. They smiled and waved back as Blaine disappeared up to his room.

“Is it just me, or does Blaine look tired today?” Jeff asked when the door was closed.

“I’m not surprised the second class is over or rehearsals done he’s in his car on the way to Lima.” Nick pointed out and turned back to his notebook looking over notes for his upcoming quiz.

“Can you blame him?” Thad asked. “If it was in Blaine’s shoes I’m sure I would have a lot on my plate too.” The Warbler’s nodded along and turned back to their work.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are written messages or texts. Bold is sign language. I've tried to catch all the times I don't put signed after bold. Sorry if I miss any, this is unbeta'd so it's just my eyes trying to catch them.

Blaine had always found History fascinating. He liked learning about all that had happened in the world before he was alive. But that didn’t mean having History first thing in the morning - after only a few hours of sleep - perked him up. He found his eyes growing heavy and his head slipping from his hand.

“Mr. Anderson.” He heard his teacher call on him from the front of the class. “Could you please answer the question?”

Blaine blinked awake in shock as he realised he had been moments away from sleeping in class. Which was a serious offence at Dalton. Blaine had never been in serious trouble at Dalton, he was the top of all his classes and the star Warbler. He was known for being a good kid and being caught napping was not how he had planned on starting his day.

“I’m sorry sir, could you please repeat the question?” Blaine asked. Several of his classmates snickered and turned to look at him. Blaine tried his hardest not to squirm in his seat or blush under their scrutiny.

“Name one advancement in science during the Renaissance period?”

Blaine rattled off an answer without having to think too much about it. His teacher didn’t respond and went right back to the lesson without calling on Blaine again. His bad day was far from over. His next lesson was Biology which meant a quiz. Blaine knew it would be a miracle if he even passed. He had studied until he fell asleep the night before but it was as though he hadn’t taken in a single word he’d read.

He should have looked over his notes before spending time with Kurt but when he had arrived at the Hummel-Hudson household Kurt had looked sadder than usual. Instead of following Burt’s rules he’d spent the time he should have been studying finding funny memes on Tumblr to trade with the gifs Kurt found of their favourite movies.

After all his classes were over Blaine had a short gap before Warbler rehearsal. Blaine wanted to stop by his dorm and drop off his books. When he closed the door to his room he almost felt a magnetic pull to his bed. He figured a couple of minutes to refill his batteries would do him so good. Then he would be able to get through the singing and dancing and drive to Kurt’s without falling asleep when he arrived. The idea of sitting in another meeting listening to the council try and make decisions that would please all the members sent him to sleep before he remembered to set an alarm. After all he was just going to rest his eyes.

Kurt woke up after having the best nights sleep since leaving the hospital. To top if off his skin felt like it was well on it’s way back to an acceptable standard. To finish off his good mood the sun way shining. As far as good days went Kurt was having the best one in weeks, if not months. When he made his way downstairs he found that Burt and Carole were both at work and Finn was still at school. He felt like his day held endless possibilities and he hadn’t spent any quality time with the kitchen.

He changed into an outfit he wouldn’t mind getting coated in flour and rolled up his sleeves. Kurt found his favourite muffin recipe and got stuck in, letting his mind wander as he sifted flour, weighed out sugar and blueberries. 

By the time Kurt had placed the first batch in the oven he’d decided to go ahead and make a cookie batter so he could jump right into his low fat cookies so his dad could enjoy the fruits of his labour when he got home.

Since the snowballing he hadn’t spent much time in the kitchen and had allowed Carole to fill in the role of family chef. Kurt had missed his duties in the kitchen, more than he had realised. Cooking had always been a peaceful satisfying task.

Kurt grabbed the latest issue of Vogue to flip through while the cookies cooked and the muffins cooled on a rack.He hadn’t noticed that the morning had gone into the afternoon and he still had to do his hair and put on something more presentable for when Blaine was done at his Warbler meeting.

While Kurt got himself ready for the rest of the day he noticed his phone light up with an incoming text message. Wes had texted him asking if Blaine had blown off school and Warbler to head to Lima and if he was with Kurt. Kurt rushed to text back that Blaine wasn’t there before sending off a text to his boyfriend in a casual just checking in with your day kind of way.

Wes texted again, Kurt had yet to get any response from Blaine. Wes told him that Blaine wasn’t answering his phone and his dorm was locked and he wasn’t answering when they knocked. It wasn’t like Blaine to skip Warblers or ignore his friends when they called or knocked on his door. Blaine was the definition of reliable. He especially wouldn’t ignore Kurt.

Kurt paced his room while he tried to formulate some kind of plan. He was frustrated he couldn’t call Blaine to talk to him about whatever was going on. Most of all he was worried, Blaine didn’t do this kind of thing. It was clear to Kurt that Blaine spending all his free time together wasn’t working anymore. Kurt felt a serious talk coming and he couldn’t stomach the idea of sitting around waiting for an update from the Warblers.

The one thing that made Kurt hesitate to walk out his front door and drive to Dalton was he hadn’t driven since he’d lost his hearing. He knew all his other friends would be in glee practice. He cycled through everyone on his contact list before deciding to just get over himself and drive his Navigator to Dalton, a trip he knew well. He reasoned with himself, if anything went wrong or he started to panic he would turn around and come back. He could leave the house alone, he could do it for Blaine.

He packaged up half the cookies and muffins and buckled himself into his car. He turned on the engine using the vibrations he felt on the steering wheel as an indicator that the car was on and running before pulling out of the driveway and heading towards Dalton Academy.

The drive was a little tense and Kurt had to get used to driving without hearing any music or horns from other drivers but overall he felt like it couldn’t have gone much better. It did take twice as long as he remembered it taking before, but he had taken his time to adjust.He pulled into the guest parking at Dalton and let out a long sigh of relief. He grabbed his baked goods, bag and notebook and headed towards Blaine’s dorm block.

Kurt looked around at the students going about their free time after class and couldn’t help but smile. He’d always felt safe at Dalton, it had just never felt like home the way McKinley used to. Just knowing how Dalton treated their students made Kurt feel relaxed as he walked towards the entrance of the building.

Kurt had forgotten he would need to find another way to get inside. He was used to having a student card that just let him in when he’d visited Blaine back in the day. Or Blaine was right there next to him unlocking doors with a swipe. Even if Kurt knew where his old card was it would have expired long ago.

He opened up his notebook and wrote out a quick message before walking towards the closet student in the typical Dalton blazer and tie.

 _Hi, I’m looking for Blaine Anderson’s dorm, I’m his boyfriend do you know him?_ Kurt had written and showed to the stranger. The guy glanced over the message and shrugged before walking away. Kurt sighed in frustration and walked back to the entrance, pulling out his phone to shoot Wes or one of the other Warbler’s a text. Before he managed to string together what he wanted to say he felt someone behind him tap his shoulder.

“Oh my gosh, Kurt hi.” Jeff said as Kurt spun around and smiled at the familiar face. “Oh right you’re deaf.” Jeff mumbled to himself once he realised Kurt was looking at him in an expectant kind of way.

Kurt pulled out his pen and wrote

_Wes texted me about Blaine_

Jeff took the pen and paper so he could reply.

_I was heading over to try his dorm again myself. Let’s go find your handsome Warbler shall we._

Kurt nodded and Jeff led the way inside leading Kurt up a couple of flights of stairs until they were stood outside of Blaine’s locked door. Kurt let Jeff do the knocking but he wasn’t planning on leaving if Blaine didn’t answer. He hadn’t come this far to leave because Blaine’s wasn’t home. 

Blaine felt himself wake up, it took him a couple of minutes to break through the deep sleep he had fallen into. Be was disorientated, blinking himself awake a few times and wiped the back of his over his eyes. He didn’t notice straight away that someone was knocking on his door. But when he did realise they were knocking loud enough to alert the whole floor he pushed himself to stand up.

Blaine stood up, still in uniform now creased and twisted from sleep. He didn’t bother to straighten up, he needed to find out what was so pressing. It dawned on Blaine he must have slept straight through the mandatory Warbler rehearsal.

“Jeff?” Blaine said, suppressing a yawn, still trying to get his body and brain to work together and shake off the nap. “What time is it?”

“It’s after Warblers. You slept through and Wes was worried about you when you didn’t answer your phone or door earlier. And just a heads up he must have alerted Kurt because he’s here.” Jeff said nodding his head to his left where Kurt stood waiting, just out of view.

Kurt angled himself so he could see Blaine and felt relived that he looked exhausted but otherwise okay. He recognised Blaine say his name and Blaine looked over at him and smiled a little.

“Well now I have something to report back I’ll leave you to it.” Jeff said waving goodbye and leaving the couple to talk alone.

 **“Come in.”** Blaine signed shutting the door once Kurt was inside.

 **“Are you okay?”** Kurt signed as he sat down on Blaine’s desk chair.

 **“Me? Just tired. What about you? Did you drive all the way here alone?”** Blaine signed proud that he knew enough signs well to enough to ask without having to write anything down.

“Yeah.” Kurt said with a proud smile.

 **“Why?”** Blaine asked.

“I got a text from Wes asking if you were with me and when you didn’t answer your phone I decided to make sure you were okay.” Kurt said still feeling proud for leaving the house by himself for the first time he could remember since the attack. 

Sure he’d been to doctors appointments but his father always accompanied him. On the handful of occasions that Blaine had suggested they hang out alone in his dorm he’d been with Blaine the whole time.

“Blaine what’s going on? What happened? You would never miss Warbler meetings?”

Blaine picked up the notebook, he wasn’t sure he would know all he signs he needed. He knew this conversation was not going to be a simple one.

_I was planning on just dropping off my books. I thought closing my eyes for a minute or two would do me good but I must have fallen asleep and didn’t set an alarm. I must have slept way too hard to miss all the phone calls, texts and door pounding._

Kurt read over his words, nodding as he took them in.

 **“Kurt, why did you drive all the way here just because I was asleep?”** Blaine signed once he could see Kurt was done reading and thinking over what he had written a little too hard.

“Blaine, I was worried about you and frustrated. You haven’t been acting like yourself lately and I figured it was about time we have this conversation. And I would rather have it in private and face to face.”

Blaine took the notebook back

_There’s no need to worry about me. I just had a lot to do the night before and there wasn’t a lot of time left to sleep._

“Blaine.” Kurt begun taking a breath to give him the time he needed to gather his thoughts. “If you had a lot to do last night or any night you don’t HAVE to come over. Spending evenings apart isn’t going to do either of us any harm. You don’t have to learn ASL in your spare time, you can just learn from me. You don’t HAVE to stay until curfew or come over every weekend. I mean I love you being around but I understand you have other things to do as well.”

 **“I like spending time with you.”** Blaine signed. Kurt smiled.

 **“There’s more to it than that. There’s something else you haven’t told me.”** Kurt signed, not willing to change the subject this time or just let things go. They needed to get to the bottom of things if they wanted their relationship to last.

_My stuff doesn’t matter Kurt. What’s going on with me isn’t anything compared to the adjustments you’ve had to make and the changes in you._

Blaine wrote out what he wanted to say a couple of times before showing Kurt. He wanted to get the words right. Kurt just shook his head and pushed the notebook back into Blaine’s hands before walking over to sit next to Blaine on his bed and place a reassuring hand on his back, stroking over his blazer in an attempt to comfort him more.

_Kurt, I don’t even know what to write. Blaine wrote while Kurt read over his shoulder._

_I just FEEL so messed up at the moment all the time and I don’t think I’m handling all this stuff in my head very well._

Kurt read his words and felt his stomach clench, unsure what emotions were bothering Blaine so much and if they were emotions that led to him wanting to leave Kurt.

_It’s hard to put into words but it’s this mixture of anger and guilt and it’s constant. I’ve been trying to keep busy to keep myself from thinking about things too much. I spend all my free time with you and then I can’t sleep because my brain won’t shut off. I tried boxing more and using music but I can’t keep myself from this feeling like I there’s nothing I can do to change anything or to really help you. And then I see the happy face you plaster on whenever I’m around and it just makes things worse._

Blaine wasn’t sure if what he’d written would make total sense but a part of him felt a huge wave of relief. He was glad he’d at least tried to express himself to the one person that mattered the most to him.

Kurt felt his stomach instantly loosen and his smile return. These were issues they could work through and make it past and Kurt knew they would find the light at the end of the tunnel together. Kurt decided to take the pen and paper in his own hands so he could write his own response.

_Blaine. First you have nothing to feel guilt for. I knew you felt that way before but I had no idea you still didn’t let it sink in when everyone told you so. Nothing is your fault and it’s not doing anyone any good when you think that way. I chose to go back to McKinley knowing what kind of school it was. I chose to go back without you this year. I would’ve gone back without your blessing or without you by my side. The guys who did this to me are being punished, they’ve been suspended and they’re the ones who should feel bad about this. Not you. You just need to be your amazing self and not focus on those guys and what they’ve done._

Blaine leaned over to kiss Kurt on the cheek before he took over writing.

_Okay, fair enough I understand all that. And I am going to try but you need to try and let me in more. Because Kurt I can see when you put on the happy face for me and you know that’s not how you’re feeling. I get you might be doing it to protect my feelings?_

Blaine glanced over to see Kurt nod his head just slightly.

_Well I can see that it’s not how you’re really feeling. We need to be open with one another. I need to say when I need to get other stuff done and you need to tell me when you’re feeling down or having a bad day._

“We do.” Kurt said to Blaine, taking the notebook from his hands and placing it back in his bag by their feet and taking both of Blaine’s hands in his. “And I agree we can work on this Blaine.” He lent forwards to press their lips together. Blaine’s hands left his to bring Kurt closer and run his hands through his hair. “Walk me to my car?” Kurt asked as he pulled away. Blaine nodded with a smile and held up a finger to indicate he needed a second. He pulled off the tie from around his neck and replaced his blazer with a cardigan before taking Kurt’s hand and leading them out to the parking lot.

Kurt pulled him towards his car and lent on the door, not wanting to say goodbye to Blaine just yet. Blaine appeared to feel the same way as he placed his hands either side of Kurt’s body and kissed him softly, allowing his lips to open and to trace his tongue along Kurt’s bottom lip.

“I’ve got to go soon Blaine.” Kurt said against his lips, but his arms were still wound around Blaine’s body, pressing them closer. “My dad will worry if I’m not home soon.” He said as Blaine’s lips moved to his cheek and down to his jaw. Blaine sighed but pulled back and nodded. He waited to Kurt to unlock to the door and get inside. He rolled down the window, Blaine had to stand on tip toes but he lent his head inside to kiss Kurt on the cheek once before he pulled away to drive home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Italics are things written down or texts. Bold is sign language.

Kurt and Blaine agreed to make changes in how much time they spent together. Blaine didn’t spend every afternoon and evening at the Hummel-Hudson’s. Some nights he would stop by for an hour before Burt came home, just so they could make out. 

On weekends, if Blaine was up to date with his to-do list, they spend the day together. Blaine had insisted on taking Kurt on short walks along the cold streets. Or if Blaine’s parents were both working the boys took advantage of the empty house for the day.

Blaine found himself unexpectedly with a free Saturday. His original plan was to use the weekend to finish a project. He managed to find enough time to complete the English assignment with plenty of time to spare. He was up to date with his reading, all the lyrics for Warbler’s he had down the muscle memory and his laundry was in an acceptable state. Blaine found himself wishing he had plans to see Kurt. Any other use of his time would just feel like a waste. Surprising his boyfriend seemed like a great idea.

Before Blaine could head off for the day he had to find Wes. He didn’t want to be in Lima having fun and then receive a call from Wes telling him to get back to school for an impromptu Warbler rehearsal.

“Hey Wes.” Blaine called out, happy he had found the head Warbler with his nose buried in a textbook rather than potential set lists and Katy Perry mash ups.

“Warbler Blaine,” Wes said without looking up from the pages he was highlighting. “Got plans for the weekend?”

“Kind of. I just wanted to make sure I’m not needed to anything before I head off for the day.” Blaine said not bothering to take the empty chair that Wes had presented to him.

“No. I have a pile of work my teachers have been implying that I have neglected in favour of my other responsibilities.” Wes said with a sigh and a wistful look to a pile of sheet music in his bag. “Going to see Warbler Kurt?”

“Probably. See you later Wes.” Blaine called over his shoulder heading towards the door.

“Have fun, use protection.” Wes called back in an out of character joking tone. Blaine chuckled, blushing just a touch as he made his way to his car and then headed to Lima.

Blaine turned on one of the songs he’d been learning for Wes. It was an upbeat song he’d heard countless times before and he still had weeks to be perfect. He sung along and smiled when he pulled into the driveway of his boyfriends house.

Luck was on Blaine’s side. Burt opened the door, still in his pyjamas, holding a hot cup of coffee. Blaine knew Kurt would already be awake and getting ready for his day, his weekend morning skin care routine already completed and every strand of hair in place.

“Hello Mr. Hummel.” Blaine said with a smile.

“Blaine, how many times. Call me Burt.” He said standing aside to let Blaine through. “I think Kurt’s still getting ready. I didn’t know you two had plans today. He didn’t mention to expect you.”

“Sorry Mr. H- I mean…Burt. We don’t have plans. I wanted to surprise him and see if he’ll agree to accompany me to lunch. He never goes out to eat or do much of anything and I figured maybe I could help him change that.” Blaine said as Burt led him towards the stairs he had climbed countless times already.

“Well go right ahead.” Burt said gesturing for him to go and find Kurt. Burt agreed Kurt could do with going out more. He often found himself thanking his lucky stars that Blaine had found his way into his sons life. He wanted to call out three inches but he decided that if Blaine was willing to go and try to pull Kurt from his comfort bubble then they wouldn’t be doing much that would require privacy. 

Blaine stood outside the closed door not sure how to alert Kurt to the fact he was outside his bedroom without making him jump or possibly catching him in some kind of compromising position. He deiced to just go inside. He found Kurt on his bed, dressed in what Kurt would consider a casual stay at home outfit but most people would consider fancy. He was part way through reading one of the Harry Potter books. His eyes flickered to the door when he noticed something was moving. He smiled and held up one finger so he could finish his sentence and save his spot.

“What are you doing here so early, we don’t have plans?” Kurt asked getting up to properly greet Blaine.

 **“I’m here to take you to lunch.”** Blaine signed once Kurt pulled away. He watched Kurt’s delighted face fall to nervous and hesitant after just one sentence. He pulled Kurt back to his bed and squeezed his hand before he let go so Kurt could sign to him.

Kurt wasn’t sure how he felt. He hadn’t been out to a meal with anyone since he’d lost his hearing. And he knew there were countless deaf people in the world who went out and ate at restaurants without any issues. Kurt knew deep down there was no good reason why he couldn’t sit in breadstix with Blaine and pretend like he wants to split a slice of cheesecake when they both full well know Kurt will eat mostly the whole thing alone. He felt scared for a whole bunch of reasons, he didn’t even know where to begin expressing the thoughts that raced through his head and threw up walls each time he tried to walk out the front door of his house.

 _Kurt I know you’re nervous and I know it’s not just because its the first time you’re going to have to go out into the world and try to communicate with a waitress but I’ll be there. It will be fine. It will be better than fine._ Blaine had written out a paragraph while Kurt’s thoughts had been spiralling out of control. 

“I know.” Kurt mumbled shifting from one foot to the other. “There’s more to it than that.”

 **“I know.”** Blaine signed. **“If we see them we’ll leave that second. I promise.”** Blaine signed he picked the notebook up to write on final thing.

 _Now go and cute your cute butt changed before trying to claim you’re not dressed right._ Blaine wrote before nudging Kurt towards his closet and sitting on Kurt’s bed to wait for him to finish getting ready for the day. Blaine knew his boyfriend well enough to know it would take some time and he would want to redo his hair if Blaine was going to make him leave the house.

“Where are we going?” Kurt asked, as he stood facing his clothes, his eyes leaving Blaine to scan over options. Blaine just shook his head a little and nodded his head back to Kurt’s walk in. Kurt sighed and turned back to his clothes.

While Blaine waited he kicked off his shoes and lent back on Kurt’s bed, picking up the book he’d left laying on top. He opened up the third Harry Potter flicking through to find where Kurt had left off. He read a couple of the familiar lines before his attention was pulled back to Kurt pushing aside clothes and picking out options. He found Kurt lost in his world of fashion even more entertaining than the boy who lived trying to survive another year at Hogwarts.

When Kurt had finally settled on an outfit he left to get changed in his bathroom. His father would have another heart attack if he found out Kurt was casually changing around Blaine. Even if seeing one another in a state of undress was nothing new what Burt didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Blaine walked Kurt to the his car, opened the door for his boyfriend before getting in himself and heading towards Breadstix. His plan was to take Kurt somewhere he would be comfortable and know well. Blaine figured if he took Kurt to a place they’d eaten at together before it would be one less thing for Kurt to worry about. He already knew he liked the food and what to expect from the service. None of the staff had given them bother when they wanted to hold hands on the table or played footsie.

The pair walked in holding hands, without caring too much about any eyes that happened to stray their way. The waitress, one Kurt recognised gave them a small smile before showing them to a small booth in a quite corner near the back. Kurt sat so he couldn’t see the door to try and help him relax. 

Kurt was tense for a while, only answering Blaine’s conversation in short signs of scribbled answers. He pointed out what he wanted to eat to the waitress and Blaine could see him physically relax when the interaction went smoothly. Soon enough they were writing messages back and forth, laughing at one another’s stupid puns or observations of the people around them.

When their food arrived the signing and written conversation turned into scribbled games hangman and noughts and crosses in the margins of Kurt’s notebook.

They left the restaurant and Kurt began to feel hope. The realisation that he had not lost as much as he thought had made it’s way into his mind and made a feeling of happiness settle in his chest. He’d never felt more at ease as Blaine drove them back to his dorm to ‘watch a movie.’

 **“What do you want to watch?”** Blaine signed and flicked through their options. Kurt started up a new horror movie on Netflix. Kurt liked watching them, he could follow along with the subtitles and follow along with fake blood. More screaming the better.

Blaine did not fare as well when it came to any kind of torture or gore. He tried to watch without jumping out of skin when a jump scare came out of nowhere. He tried not to blush when the obvious ones still made him leave his chair and Kurt giggled at his reactions. Half way through he used hiding behind Kurt was an excuse to leave kisses on his neck, leading up to his lips. Kurt didn’t seem to mind.

While Blaine moved himself to get more comfortable he almost fell off the bed as a scream pierced the air. Kurt didn’t stop laughing as he gave Blaine his hand. Blaine blushed but instead of sitting back down he straddled Kurt and discreetly turned off the volume. He could concentrate on the way Kurt’s lips felt against his own rather than trying to anticipate when the next girl would be killed off.


End file.
